Photos by Marty Gordon
Montgomery County is at the front lines of protests of a 300+-mile-long natural gas pipeline that runs from West Virginia into Virginia.By Marty Gordon
One of the biggest headline-grabbing stories for 2019 was and will continue to be on into 2020 protests against the Mountain Valley Pipeline. One of the last strongholds for the protesters remains in the eastern part of the Montgomery County where two tree sitters remain perched high above the proposed path of the line. A small segment of the pipeline four miles long remains unfinished with security guards standing nearby 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
As proposed, the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project is a natural gas pipeline system that spans approximately 301 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia. As an interstate pipeline, upon its completion it will be regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC (Mountain Valley) has announced that the project is approximately 90% complete as the year ends with a revised total cost estimate of $5.3to $5.5 billion.
“We are pleased with our progress during the past 10 months and, despite the few remaining permitting issues, we remain confident in the regulatory process and look forward to the successful in-service of this important infrastructure project,” said Diana Charletta, president and chief operating officer of EQM Midstream Partners, LP, the operator of MVP. “We have encountered unforeseen development challenges; however, we continue to make progress towards ultimate completion,” Charletta said. “While the temporary setbacks have caused schedule delays and cost overages, completion of the MVP project is critical to serving the growing demand for domestic natural gas in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the United States. We appreciate the oversight of the various state and federal agencies that have helped guide our construction activities.”
In October, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a project-wide order halting pipeline construction in response to a U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals order granting a stay of MVP’s Biological Opinion and Incidental Take Statement issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in November 2017. Much of MVP’s construction work has already been deferred in accordance with MVP’s August 2019 voluntary suspension or had been largely winding down for the winter season.
The FERC’s order directs MVP to focus on restoration and stabilization activities to protect the environment, which was a primary focus of the MVP team in its preparation for the winter, including enhancing erosion and sediment controls and continuing with restoration work.
The company hopes to start work again in the spring.
The Montgomery County protest is located off State Route 603, Coal Hollow Road on Yellow Finch Lane.
At least two people have been “tree sitting” for the past year. Four protesters have been arrested by Virginia State Police for chaining themselves to contractor’s equipment.
MVP has asked a Montgomery County court to issue an injunction against the group so law enforcement officers can clear the site. So far, the court has not handed down a ruling.
